


The Roads of Yesterday

by Jesters_of_the_Moon, TooCreative4Life



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Abduction, Alternate Origin Story, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bat Family, Batfamily Feels, Beginnings, Best Friends, Blood, Brothers of Sorts, Captivity, Crime Fighting, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Roller Coaster, Emotions, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, F/M, Fights, Gen, Guilt, Heroes crying, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry Dick, I'm Sorry Walls, Joker is a psycho, Mild Gore, Missing, Missions, Missions Gone Wrong, No Smut, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Not Season/Series 02 Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pain, Panic Attacks, Past, Past Abuse, Past Tense, Psychological Trauma, Redemption, Rescue Missions, Sad, Sad with a Happy Ending, Sorry Not Sorry, Suffering, Team, Team Dynamics, Team Feels, Team as Family, Tearjerker, Tears, Torture, Trust Issues, Villain to Hero, Villains, Villains being Villains, dick grayson is an idiot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-02
Updated: 2015-10-26
Packaged: 2018-04-24 05:32:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4907347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jesters_of_the_Moon/pseuds/Jesters_of_the_Moon, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooCreative4Life/pseuds/TooCreative4Life
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Several months ago, the Team was investigating a case when an unexpected player crashed the party, resulting in the severe injury of one of the members. </p><p>Since that night, Dick Grayson practically ceased to exist. Every moment was spent at the Cave working on a program that he thinks will keep anything similar from happening again. He's obsessive and dangerously similar to his father, not thinking about anything other than the mission. </p><p>And that often leads to trouble.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Road To Travel

The Cave’s door slid open as silently as it could, allowing a lithe black figure to slip in. The shadowed figure moved over the darkened ground with skill; he avoided all the couches, chairs and motion sensors, made it past Wolf without waking the canine and managed to slink past Sphere without disrupting the machine. He swiftly and silently made his way to the Mission Room. The shadowy figure stopped at the door, pulled out a card and placed it in front of the doors motion detectors. He waited ten seconds, letting the camera register the card, before pulling his hand back and replacing the card in his pocket.

The doors opened and in walked the boy. As he strode towards the large black desk a blue screen flickered to life. The blue light from the screen lit up the room, and as the figure pulled out a chair, and slumped into it, the light illuminated the blue bird on his chest. The silent demeanor the hero had held through the halls was gone as Dick let out a long sigh with a dejected and bewildered expression seeping onto his face. Behind the mask, his eyes closed for a brief moment of self-doubt as critical thoughts surged to life within the confines of his mind. With another annoyed groan the teen returned his hands to the keyboard and began to read over and edit the search program with an air of vengeance.

 The light shining in the room gave a frightful appearance to its sole occupant. Fingers moved over the keys with practiced ease and speed, modifying the complex code he had already spent hours slaving over. A strained pause came to pass as Dick sat back, letting the computer register his changes. With a tired groan he raised a hand up to his face and rubbed his eyes, trying to rid them of the tired feeling creeping up behind them. Hidden beneath the domino mask, the light blue eyes were puffed and bags had started to form from at least seven days without even a total of two hours sleep between them.

 Begrudgingly Dick allowed his eyes to slide closed, reasoning that maybe a few minutes of semi-relaxing half-sleep would do him some good. The last few weeks were a blur to him; he had been spending all nights writing a search algorithm he hoped would be specific enough, smart enough, to find the Team’s targets without any more dead-ends or traps, and all the days with the Team on missions or training. Granted, it was not the smartest idea seeing as he was almost constantly tired and in the beginning of the week had managed to scare Wally by not paying attention in a briefing. He had mentally berated himself for hours after that.

Despite the team telling him that it was not his fault for their failures, he could not help but remember the mission at Cadmus, a second one, and the disastrous consequences that could have happened.

The boy shook his head viciously to clear his mind of the thoughts. He had to focus on the program and making it better; making it so that the Team would never have to worry about a wrong location, and being in danger because of that, ever again. And he almost had it. After working these late hours for the last few weeks, he was so close! The program was almost ready. He had it set up to be able to include all the variables the villains, and any combination of them, along with any activity or stolen data could be calculated and given a location, or maybe two, where they would be.

The program was honing in on an abandoned amusement park in the middle of nowhere between Gotham and Star City. It wasn't that far of a stretch since the teen had told it to look for any sign of the Joker and his affiliates. The black garbed hero sighed as he stood and walked out of the main room, heading for his own. He would just grab a few things and go check out the warehouse. Nothing more. He was just going to make sure that this wasn't a false lead and make sure the program was working before he showed it the Team. 

After checking that his utility belt was well-stocked he turned to the mirror that hung on his wall. It had been only a year and a half or so since he had "graduated" from the Robin moniker and made himself a new one. Bruce hadn't liked it too much, but Dick had needed to get out from under his over-protective wing. A vaguely pained expression fell onto Nightwing's face as he pushed the thought of the second Robin out of his head, turning away from the mirror and grabbing the keys to his bike. Nightwing walked briskly from his room to the garage, only slightly noticing how no one was up. Must be late, or early. Depends on how you'd look at it. An airy chuckle escaped Nightwing as he stopped beside his bike. He slipped on his helmet and mounted the bike, revving the engine he set off into the still night-darkened world. 

He drove down the path at break neck speed, almost flying down the side of Mount Justice. Nightwing made it out of Happy Harbor in record time, not having to worry about anyone keeping up with him or working with him getting lost. He loved the feeling of asphalt beneath the wheels and the adrenaline from speeding down the highway. The easiest way to the abandoned park was through Central City, unfortunately for the sleep-deprived teen. 

The hero zipped over the highway leading to the city. As he neared Central City, taking all the short cuts he could towards the park, his gut clenched. He thought of the West-Allen house and his best friend. He hadn't yet gotten the courage to speak directly and alone with Wally about that night since the speedster had been released from the hospital; the memories of the fear and panic that had gripped him were still painfully fresh. His thoughts blurred back to that night; flames licking at snow, tears shimmering down cheeks, dolorous cries of sorrow and grief whipping through the air... Nightwing's mind jolted back to reality as he felt the bike beneath him tilting. He quickly righted the bike and avoided a head-on collision with the asphalt beneath him. He shook his head vigorously.

"Stay focused, Dick. Stay focused." He growled to himself as he continued on.

He left the lights of Central City far behind him as he continued on the road for some time. The landscape flashing by him turning from concrete jungle and gardens of cinderblocks to undeveloped expanses of dull brown or flourishing spots of vibrant green. As the sun rose up into the sky, casting warm golden rays over the dark blue expanse, the monitor on Nightwing's bike began to blink, alerting him to his approach of  the amusement park. The hero could easily see the rundown park from a couple miles away. He slowed his approach, stopping fully half a mile from the park. He needed to be careful, if he did his programming right the Prince of Clowns was inside that park. Stepping off the bike carefully, he laid his helmet beside the bike, hidden beneath bushes with all defense and camouflage modes activated.

Nightwing stayed crouched behind a large cluster of bushes, watching briefly for any signs of activity. Silent as the desert wind, Nightwing began to make his way towards the fence, eyeing it with dangerous determination. It was a good eight feet high, but nothing he didn't think he could handle. He took a deep breath as he neared the chainlink barrier and leapt. He pulled his legs towards his chest, sailing over it with ease similar to that of a bird floating through the wind.

A small swirl of dust erupted at his feet when he landed soundless as the night. In an instant Nightwing was flying over the ground, feet hardly seeming to skim the earth, heading towards what looked to be the remnants of a kiosk. He vaulted over the counter and crouched. He took another deep breath, calming his rising heartbeat. Opening his ears, Nightwing listened for any signs of life or movement in the surrounding area. When he heard nothing, the hero pulled up the holo-screen to quickly scan the park. The scanner only picked up that the hero was in the park, reading no other heat signatures, save for the residual trail he himself had left. 

He turned off the screen as he got to his feet, an annoyed, and disappointed, huff leaving him. He waited a few seconds more, just to appease his inner-worries, before jumping over the counter. He was not supposed to be off on a mission solo, that was a rule the Team agreed upon when they first started. Then, he had been the most voracious supporter of the instigation of that rule, and yet here he was breaking it. But it's for a decent reason, the guys wouldn't be too traught if I dragged 'em out here for nothing. He thought as he walked back to the fence.

He stopped though only a few feet from the kiosk. Slowly he turned back, a nagging feeling in his gut telling him someone else was there. With caution in his silent steps as he made his way deeper into the park. He waited at every corner, listening before proceeding, and staying hidden in the shadows. He moved through the deserted complex like a breeze over the ground, silent and swift. Nightwing eventually found himself at the center, standing before the attempted main attraction of the park.

"The Churner? No wonder this place went under," Nightwing tittered, looking around at the other run-down rides, each with a worse name than the last.

The acrobat shook his head as he looked back to the Churner. It was rusted and looked as though it'd never support a car running over the tracks, but it seemed sturdy enough to hold a person climbing on it. With a shrug the hero decided to climb up and get an aerial view of the park, thinking that he might get a glimpse of anyone who was there if he looked at it from another angle. As quickly as he could Nightwing scaled the structure, suddenly thankful for all the wall climbing Batman made them do in training. 

He was a few feet from the top of the highest hill in the track when he paused, one of the bars having broken away. As he moved side ways, a hard blow knocked him clear from the structure. There was no cry of surprise, as the blow had also forced any air from his lungs. The hero fell several feet before he felt something constrict around his body, bringing him down slowly.

He struggled against the hold, but stilled as he felt something akin to daggers pressing into him as what looked like a thorny vine tightened its grip. The vine twisted and twined, bringing the hero upright but not letting him go, suspending him a few feet above the ground.

"Well, well, well. Look at the little bird, all caught up and trapped in the vines." Ivy scoffed as she sauntered towards Nightwing with a dangerously gleeful smile on her face. "Didn't bid ol' Bats teach you better?"

Nightwing winced, teeth grinding together, as the vines coiled tighter, likely to keep him from attacking Poison Ivy as she stopped mere inches from him. She looked liek she was about to say something when her eyes shifted, looking over Nightwing's shoulder. She stepped back, an authoritarian calm falling over her features. 

He strained against the vines, trying to see who was behind him. Though, he didn't need to as Ivy flicked her wrist and the plants turned him around. The teen didn't recognize the girl before him, though he glared her none the less.

"Should we alert the others?" The girl asked Ivy, a hint of a hiss in her voice as she avoided eye-contact with Nightwing.

"I think now would be a good time, yes. Bring the old Boy Wonder inside and send out a call to the others," Ivy instructed, turning and walking towards the House of Horrors, vines slowly letting him down to the ground. "Make sure to double lock the cell and turn on all the security measures, darling," she called over her shoulder in reminder. 

The black garbed villainess stepped forward, making  her way around the bound hero. Ivy stood some yards away, watching the younger villainess with scrutinizing eyes and a cautioning glare. She distrusted just about every member of the organization Luthor had created except for Harley, and she wasn't afraid to show it. She took a final glance at the sky before retreating into the horror house. The black suited villainess was close behind, Nightwing dragging as she lugged him along. The two villains made their way through the 'spooky' path, to an elevator and then down . Down, down, down.   

"The gang will be so pleased." Ivy said to herself as the elevator door opened to the dark underbelly of the amusement park above.


	2. Road Behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Team, unaware of their teammate's nightly activities, slowly realize he's missing. And get sent on a mission.

Shrill beeps filled the air in a small cozy room as a low groan came from the mass of sheets. Red hair poked from beneath a sun bathed pillow, spiked and wild from sleep. Wally lifted his head and glared at the offending machine that read 6:45 AM. He moaned as he began to untangle himself from his bed sheets.

He was moving rather slowly for a speedster, though rather normally for a fresh-out-of-bed-teenage-speedster-without-food-for-eight-hours-straight speedster which is to say like a normal human being. He slammed his hand down on the snooze button with a seeming grudge. Wally then proceeded to glare at the window with blinds drawn.

"Why do I have to wake up so early? It's summer! I should be sleeping long days and working nights." Wally grumbled as he moved to the shower, purposely ignoring the mirror.

A quick rinse and towel dry later, Wally was pulling clothes from his dresser, reaching for a black long sleeve shirt and his dark blue jeans, the new typical look he had adopted. It'd been a while since the teen had worn anything other than a long shirt and jeans, even with it being summer. He didn't want to be a reminder of the accident. He also thought it'd be awkward to wear something that only was long on one half of his body; people would only ask more questions, he had said to his aunt a few weeks ago when she suggested wearing shorts.

Before Wally even realized it, he was downstairs. He paused, shaking his head to clear it of the thoughts, turning to head to the kitchen. He was raiding the fridge in seconds, pulling out the sparse leftovers and a jug of milk. The teen gathered a bowl, spoon and cereal too before beginning to scarf down the food.

His aunt and uncle weren't up yet, so he quietly did his best to clean up before going to the door. Wally slipped his red goggles on the top of his messy red mass of hair as he grabbed his shoes, shoving his foot in and doing the laces up tightly.

He stood and made his way towards to the door, checking his pockets for his keys and ID card. Unfortunately, that meant the boy wasn't focusing on his feet or the rug, and it's upturned corner. A thud echoed dully throughout the house as Wally landed face-first in the wooden floor.

"So close," groaned the flaming haired teen, pushing himself back onto his knees.

In seconds Barry was standing behind Wally in his night wear, holding a bat and seemingly ready to beat down a burglar. Wally waved nervously to his uncle. The older speedster gave Wally a short glare before curling his free hand into a thumbs-up and smiling. Wally grinned ecstatically in answer. He pulled his goggles down over his eyes and stepped out the door, shutting it quietly behind him.

Wally stopped to take a deep breath of the early morning air before taking off, speeding down the streets of Central City. The redhead was a barely a blur as he rocketed over the asphalt. He loved the wind whipping at his face as he ran, almost as much as he loved the speed itself. When he ran, everything stopped; time, thought, worry... everything fell to the background as Wally's feet hit the ground over and over and over again.

It took a total of twenty minutes for the speedster to reach Happy Harbor and from there, seconds for him to reach the Cave. He sped in as usual, skidding to a halt before he slammed into Artemis and Raquel, who chatted by the kitchen. The archer gave Wally her typical good-morning-now-scram-before-I-get-mad look before returning to her conversation with Raquel. Wally sighed as he headed inside the kitchen, leaving the two to their... whatever that was that they were doing. There he found M'Gann trying to make another batch of cookies, and a hint of a smile tugged at the speedster's lips. 

"Hey," Wally said, walking towards the fridge.  
"Hello Wally. Would you happen to know how many ounces are in a pound? Or is it the other way?" M'Gann asked as she looked up from her cookbook.  
"You had it right the first time." Wally chuckled good-naturedly before continuing, "I'm not sure how many ounces are in a pound though. Try asking Artemis or Nightwing."  
"Do you know where he is?" The martian asked.  
"No. Isn't he here? I thought he was practically living with you and Supey nowadays."  
"No one's seen him since yesterday after the mission debriefing Baywatch." Artemis announced as she entered the kitchen, Raquel on her heels.  
"He probably was dragged home by Batman or something. He doesn't like it when Wing stays too long at the cave," Raquel pointed out, shrugging as looked around at the others in the room.  
"Guess it comes from being a father, but still. Wouldn't he have let us know?" Wally wondered, mostly to himself.

Before anyone could answer they all heard Batman's deep booming voice resonate in the cave.

"All Team members, report to mission room." The Dark Knights voice rang loud and clear.

Wally, M'Gann and Artemis shared a look, each showing some versions of worry. They all proceeded to leave the kitchen, walking through the Cave's maze-like halls towards the mission room. Slowly, each member present in the Cave joined their small procession in the room. When all heroes had assembled, there were a total of ten Team members standing in the room. M'Gann was of course standing next to Beast Boy, who looked too excited to be humanly possible as he bounced in his seat; Kaldur was standing stoically beside Conner who was wearing a mask of indifference as he looked at the other heroes in the room. Artemis was begrudgingly standing beside Wally as the newer recruits took the spots in front row.

"The League has received news of an attack in Springfield, whilst we suspect a theft to be planned in New York, utilizing the New Orleans incident as a distraction. The theft is thought to be of a caravan of highly valuable, new-wave technology. The League will handle Springfield. The Team will handle preventing the theft."

Batman paused to scan the group of heroes in front of him. A puzzled scowl deepened the furrow of his brows before the Dark Knight said, "Kaldur, you will be in charge. Take a team and meet the convoy at the coordinates in the file," Batman said as he turned on his heel, cape whirling around in a black mass, and strode out of the room.

Kaldur looked over his team, thinking quickly about the needs of the mission and what powers would be the most helpful. After a minute of deliberating he began to announce his chosen team. 

"Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Artemis, Superboy, Bumblebee. You will come with me. The rest of you, stay here and try not to blow up the mountain," Kaldur said as he looked straight at the young green changeling.

Garfield let out an undignified snort of protest before changing into a puppy, giving everyone in the room his most innocent face. Kaldur rolled his eyes, a soft chuckle escaping him as he turned towards the door, making his way to his room. The other chosen members vanished to their rooms as well, switching from their civilian garb into hero uniforms. They reunited in the kitchen before making their way to the launch bay where the bio-ship awaited them. They boarded in peaceful silence. M'Gann took her seat in the pilots chair before Batman popped up on the holoscreen.

"Team, here is the caravan's route to it's destination. Primary objective of the mission is to ensure that the caravan arrives safely; secondary objective is to find out who is behind the theft. Batman out." And with that the holoscreen disappeared and the Team was left looking at blank space.  
"Miss Martian, take us to the coordinates." Kaldur said, his voice the usual calm it always was.

M'Gann nodded. The bio-ship lifted off of the ground as the doors to the landing bay opened wide enough for the ship to clear it. While M'Gann focused on flying the ship and Kaldur on the mission ahead the others began to chat quietly.

"What do you think is up? Bats didn't even seem to know that Nightwing wasn't there." Wally whispered.  
"You mean when he took a breath to continue speaking? Not everyone can speed talk like you Baywatch. Normal people have to breathe." Artemis snorted in a hushed tone.  
"Not Batman, and not when he's assigning missions." The red-head protested.  
"Kid does have a point. That wasn't exactly a normal behavior. Plus, didn't you see how he walked out of the room with a different step than normal?" Superboy interjected.  
"Thank you someone else for noticing!" Wally exclaimed, louder than he had meant to, drawing the attention of Aqualad.  
"For noticing what, Kid Flash?" The Atlantean questioned.  
"Kid Idiot is saying that Batman didn't know Nightwing wasn't at the Cave and that he thinks that Nightwing is missing." Artemis replied, rolling her eyes.

Wally was forming a protest as he opened his mouth to re-explain what he'd said to keep himself from looking stupid, but the speedster was cut off.

"I believe that Kid Flash is correct in his assumptions about Batman being unaware of Nightwing's location."

Kid Flash's jaw dropped in surprise at Kaldur agreeing with him.

"Really? You agree with me. I mean- Yeah, see. He agrees with me."  
"Since when is Kid Idiot right about anything?" Artemis asked.  
"I've been right about stuff before!" The red-head protested.  
"When?" The other heroes, excluding Aqualad, asked in unison.  
"When it comes to food and speed and science." Kid Flash responded.  
"Let us put this debate aside for the moment. We need to decide on a plan. Primarily we are going to be accompanying the shipment, so we will need to be in groups and spread around it. Miss Martian and I will be in front of the caravan. Superboy and Kid, you will take the flanks, while Artemis and Bumblebee will be guarding the caravan's rear. Clear?"

All the team nodded looking at their partners with agreeing nods. Artemis and Kid Flash were more than happy when they had not been paired together and were quietly celebrating before Kaldur threatened to switch partners and put them as a pair. That made both heroes shut their mouths tight and turn to face the front of the ship. Hushed laughter and snorts came from their teammates as the two teens tried to ignore the other and sit quietly. Luckily for them they didn't have to wait long since the group was quite near to the current location of the caravan.

The bio-ship landed easily and the heroes stood. Bumblebee settled into the pilot's seat, with Artemis in the co-pilot's, as the others began to file out of the bio-ship. Sphere had been happy to offer her help, turning into her bike form as she, Superboy and Kid Flash descended the ramp. Miss Martian was fine with telekinetically aided flying, however Aqualad preferred to take a bike than needlessly overtax her powers.

The teams took their places down the two truck long caravan and prepared to depart. Three quarters of the way through the route, Half the Team would split off with each caravan, creating a decoy. Aqualad led the way, the first truck following him and Miss Martian. After the second truck drove off the flank team started up and began their way down the road. Bumblebee lifted the bio-ship into the air keeping an eye on the skies and everywhere else. Miss Martian established a mental link between all the teams.

_How long till we reach the destination?_ Artemis asked.  
 _A little over three hours,_ Aqualad announced.  

A communal groan of protest echoed through everyone's head from everyone, though loudest from Wally.

_What's up with you Baywatch? Thought you'd like this long run more than anyone._  Artemis asked with her trademark snark.  
 _Huh? Nothing's up. I'm just kind of... worried. About Wing.  
_ _Can Kid Mouth not get by without his buddy at his back?_  Artemis asked jokingly.  
 _No! He's just not the person to be missing without a reason. And something feels, I don't know... off._  Kid explained, shaking his head.

When no one answered, the speedster let out an annoyed huff as he resisted the urge to speed ahead just to get away from the others. His annoyance, and worry, which must have traveled through the mind link because he felt them all retreat from him as he was left with blessed silence to brood in peace. Wally's thoughts drifted from his annoying teammates to the absent member. Wally was quite unbalanced by the lack of their usual leader, though found himself almost laughing when he thought of how he would have paired the speedster with Artemis.


End file.
